Washington State Mudslide Death Toll Rises To 39

Tayler Drayton, 16, earlier this month painted words of support on a bus stop for those affected by the deadly mudslide at the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River.

Elaine Thompson
/ AP

Originally published on April 16, 2014 12:08 pm

The death toll in last month's fatal mudslide in Washington state has risen to 39, officials say, after two more bodies were recovered from the debris.

Search efforts following the mudslide, near the community of Oso in the Cascades foothills, have been hampered by rain and the difficulty in recovering victims from the mudslide on the north fork of the Stillaguamish River on March 22.